


Haunting Memories

by Mid_Nightmare



Series: Let Me Be Your Superhero [3]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alpha Bruce Wayne, Alpha Damian Wayne, Alpha Kon-El | Conner Kent, Alpha Rose Wilson, Alpha Roy Harper, Alpha Slade Wilson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Character Death, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Discussion of Abortion, Día de los Muertos | Day of the Dead, Emotional, Forced Abortion, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Abortion, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Miscarriage, Omega Dick Grayson, Omega Jason Todd, Omega Jonathan Samuel Kent, Omega Tim Drake, Omega Verse, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Past Abortion, Past Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne, Remembrance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:09:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27327841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mid_Nightmare/pseuds/Mid_Nightmare
Summary: November 1st to many simply means the day after Halloween: a day of sugar-induced comas. However, to Dick, it means the first day of remembrance. November 1st is the first day of Dia de los Muertos and is specifically for the remembrance of lost children. As the Wilson family remembers all that they have lost, Jason, Tim, and Damian with their own families come to join them and learn more about the siblings they never had and the mother they never knew.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson, Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: Let Me Be Your Superhero [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941505
Comments: 43
Kudos: 197
Collections: SladeRobin Week 2020





	Haunting Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovelies!
> 
> I'm sure you might be surprised by having 2 stories in less than 24 hours, but here is our next piece! This is directly related to Bats, Cats, and Mermaid Tears, so please do read that one first. We are celebrating Dia de los Muertos in this story. There will be another chapter with more, but at the moment, I haven't finished it.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy and are excited for chapter two when it comes out!
> 
> Updated: 11/7/2020 - Sorry for the errors, guys ><
> 
> <3
> 
> PS. Story is marked explicit because of the topics discussed

Slade slowly turned his head to the right, seeing the numbers shining bright on the clock. 4:48am. It was early even for him, but the night had been rough, and he had been trying to fall asleep again for the better part of three hours. The nights leading up to Halloween were always the worst, but this year had been a different level of hell. 

He looked down at the young man sleeping on his chest. At least Richard had fallen asleep again.

The alpha lightly brushed the skin between the omega’s brows, trying to smooth out the furrow that seemed to be getting deeper as the days went on. He frowned at the thought. Sleep was the only place the omega could hide, relax, and get some of the demons that tormented him while awake off, but recently, there hasn’t been any time for him to relax.

Last night had been a whirlwind of emotions. The boys having found them while Richard was in his element, playing and making all the kids in the town laugh and squeal, had thrown them both off. It was as if their appearance was making the omega relive everything he had been through. It wasn’t that far off, and he knew Richard hadn’t relaxed since they had accidently stumbled onto their front lawn. The omega had needed to take his extra anxiety pill last night which he hadn’t had to do in over six months, but he didn’t blame him. In fact, he was actually proud the omega had remembered and thought to take it. Usually that was Slade’s job.

Last night the nightmares were more memories, and he was awoken when his partner’s crying got too loud. They spent at least an hour talking, and it reminded Slade of when Richard first came to him, and how he often was telling stories of the places he’d traveled to and promising they would go and see. Of course, Richard knew why he traveled, but it never seemed to bother the omega at night. In fact, traveling seemed to be the only thing that would calm him down most of the time.

Slade had made a habit of taking the omega with him wherever he went, and he had even planned specific vacations for them to go on after noticing how much calm it brought his lover. It helped Richard to have a more “normal” relationship, especially when the media had calmed down after the backlash of hearing that Wayne had cut his oldest son out.

Wayne brought bitter memories, but Slade managed to tuck them away. Today was not the day to think of Wayne and all the ways Slade had imagined tormenting him. No, today was for Richard and all that he had lost in his life. And then tonight was about him remembering the children he lost as he talked to the boys who had also sat on their mantle for three years since Richard knew he’d never see any of his children again.

Thank God for Rose, Slade thought, pressing a light kiss to his omega’s cheek. The daughter he hadn’t known he had was probably the best at healing some of Richard’s past. She was almost sixteen when she found the both of them, only three months into a real relationship and still trying to find their way. For her part, she seemed to enjoy the idea of having a mother, and Richard latched onto having a child - one that knew him, cared for him, and hopefully wouldn’t leave him. She was a good kid, and the two of them were practically inseparable. When Slade wasn’t enough to chase off his demons, Rose helped more than she knew.

Knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with sleep with the thoughts racing in his mind, Slade gently slipped out from under the omega. Richard only groaned slightly, rolling more into the spot he had left, and the alpha chuckled. One of the cats that the omega had insisted on adopting was sitting at the foot of the bed, and he picked the fluffy thing up. Wintergreen liked him, and so the ridiculously fluffy thing started its best at purring. Slade insisted they had adopted a lawnmower instead of a cat when he heard it the first time, but Richard had shushed him and went back to spoiling the ridiculous thing.

He set Wintergreen in his spot to curl up with the omega, a rare moment of tenderness, as he went into the bathroom. Really, he shouldn’t have been surprised to see Tarot sleeping in his sink, but he still tossed his shirt over top of the weird cat. He heard the happy chirp that told him it was appreciated before he turned on the water.

Truthfully, he shouldn’t have been surprised when thin arms came around him, but he had been a bit lost in thinking of all the things they needed to do to be ready for tonight. “Why aren’t you in bed?” Richard grumbled, face very obviously smushed against Slade’s shoulder blade.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Slade said, hand resting on the tap.

He felt the change before he heard the other’s voice. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be,” the alpha said, turning the water off before turning around. He easily picked the small omega up, pressed an admittedly tender kiss to his cheek. “Let’s sit in the tub. You look like you’re going to collapse.”

Richard remained quiet as Slade easily carried him around and set the bath up. He didn’t even speak as the cabinet holding his various different essential oils, bath bombs, and even some of the flowers that he really liked was opened. All he did was point to the orange blossom oil, and Slade continued getting things ready.

The omega knew that was the one Slade would have picked for him. The alpha knew him better than he knew himself most days, but he was thankful for the unspoken question. When the oil was in, he did stop the man before he got too far away, pointing at the small pot of nettle in the back corner.

After the nettle was sprinkled in, Slade settled them both into the warm water, and the omega immediately relaxed. Leaning heavily into the older man, he sighed and gently ran his fingers through the water. Large hands ran up and down his spine before slowly beginning to dig, releasing the knots Richard hadn’t even realized had formed. Leave it to Slade to know exactly what he needed.

  
  


Dick hadn’t even noticed that he had nodded off until after he heard the water running again. He cracked open his eyes, seeing Slade fill the tub with warmer water, and when he was done, the omega stole the other’s hand, holding it close to his chest.

They continued to stay in the tub until the sun had come up and was struggling to reach them through the trees. The orange and yellow rays brought a small smile to Dicks’s face before he looked away. He hated that he was always sad when they were celebrating. He hated that even when she was trying so hard, he couldn’t bring himself to look at the sun too long.

Stephanie… He felt the beginnings of tears gathering in his eyes, and before he could, a calloused thumb was gently brushing them away. He leant into the hand, kissed Slade’s wrist before finally speaking for the first time in well over an hour. “Let’s get dressed.”

When they were out and dry, they moved into the bedroom, but not before Dick snatched the shirt off Tarot’s head. The little tortoiseshell cat meowed before stretching and following them into the bedroom. “I don’t know why you do that to her,” the omega sighed as he began to pull on some clothes.

Slade hummed as he pulled up his jeans. “She seems happy, and if I don’t do it, she’ll just get into the laundry and do it herself.”

Dick rolled his eyes, knowing it was true but still not understanding. The cats were supposed to be his, and Zeus was Slade’s, and yet somehow he ended up with only Blue since Tarot, Winter,  _ and _ Zeus had chosen Slade.

“I want another dog,” he pouted as he pulled on the sky blue cashmere sweater Slade had bought him for his twentieth birthday. Slade merely chuckled as he stood there and waited for the other. When the omega had fixed his hair, he turned to the other, offering a small smile. It didn’t reach his eyes, but it was as close to genuine as Slade could get on this day without the other crying.

The alpha pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of Dick’s lips before standing back to his full height. The younger man hugged his side, walking in step with him even though in actuality Slade shortened his steps for him.

In the kitchen, Dick hopped up onto the counter before also immediately beginning to chew on his nail. It was a nervous habit, and Slade had tried to curb it slowly before letting it go. He wasn’t about to force the boy to stop coping in his own way. He only intervened when he thought Dick was actually going to chew off his entire nail or when he started to bleed.

Slade reached up into the cabinet by the sink, pulling out the small basket of pills as well as the month’s worth of containers and setting them next to Dick. “Do your pills, pretty bird,” he said before heading for the fridge.

It was still a balancing act sometimes when or if he could call Richard anything to do with a bird. Some days the omega would smile and lean into him, but others even the slightest mention of the word brought back unwanted memories. Today was usually a safe day though, and when he didn’t see any reactions to the term from the corner of his eye as he searched the fridge - truthfully, he knew exactly what he needed and where it was, but it always made Richard uncomfortable when he stared at him directly too long - for breakfast. As the omega began working on his pills, Slade deemed that today was still a good day for it. At least for now. 

The alpha started taking various different ingredients out: eggs, ham, bacon, and a mixture of vegetables that he had chopped the night before for dinner. As he had chopped the bacon and placed it in the pan, he went to wash his hands before a small foot touched his hip. He turned to look at Richard, who had paused his pill set up and was back to gnawing on his nail again, and noted the nervousness in his eyes. “Can… we have extra bacon today?”

Slade smirked, took one step closer, kissed the omega’s knuckles before nodding. “Any other wishes?” he asked.

Richard flushed, the nails he had been chewing on dropping and curling into the other man’s shirt. The omega bit his lip, thinking again. Slade hummed, waiting patiently for him to decide. “Potatoes?” was finally said in a small voice.

“Of course,” Slade agreed, kissing the omega quickly. “Whatever you want, pretty bird.”

It took a minute before Richard finally let him go, and he waited a few more seconds before turning back to the cutting board and chopping up a few more cuts of bacon. He tucked the information that his omega was nervous, more unsure today, than usual away for now. He knew what these days entailed, and he assumed that knowing they’d have a pile of visitors later - that none of them thought they’d really ever see again - had sparked the extra anxiety in the boy.

Slade went about chopping and cooking, and as he whisked eggs together, he smiled because he knew that-

“I’m home!” Rose called as she came through the garage.

“Rosie!” Richard immediately called back, sliding off the counter and going to find the girl. Rose was immediately in the kitchen, still dressed in pajamas with her hair tangled in a mess that only could be a combination of bedhead, hairspray, and her helmet.

The two immediately latched onto each other, and Slade rolled his eye as he added three more eggs into the mix. “What are we eating, Dad? It smells good.”

“Eggs.”

Richard laughed and kissed her cheek before touching the girl’s hair. “Oh, honey… We need to get this mess out.” As Slade finished up breakfast, Rose sat at the breakfast table and Richard stood behind her, slowly trying to brush out the knots and tangles. “I told you to get your hair wet before you went to sleep,” the omega scolded as he worked a particularly painful sounding knot out of her hair.

“I tried, but Becca was hogging the bath, and Judy wouldn’t let me use the sink, and Clara kept saying she’d help me but wouldn’t stop texting her boyfriend.”

The omega hummed as he kept brushing, smiling as he listened to Rose ramble about the night. Slade shook his head as he came to set their plates down, gesturing for Richard to sit. He was denied as Rose dug into her food and the other continued to listen and brush.

“Birdie, eat while it’s hot,” Slade pressed, cutting a portion of his meal and taking a bite.

“I’m fine,” Richard shrugged.

“Ma,” Rose sighed, “please eat. My hair will still be a mess when you finish.”

Richard pouted, finishing with the massive snarl he’d been working on for at least five minutes. “Fine. Breakfast, I finish your hair, and then you go shower.”

“Deal,” Rose smiled over her shoulder, earning a quick peck on the cheek from the omega.

When he was settled, Rose immediately picked back up on her Halloween adventures with her friends. It was easy and simple and  _ normal _ . As normal as it got in their family at least. Richard seemed like himself, laughing and smiling at the antics that a bunch of teenage girls could get up to in one night, but Slade could also see that tiny ring of sadness.

Damn Wayne for never letting him have much in the way of friends and for not letting him have even a taste of how a normal teenager lived. 

As the conversation died down, Rose began asking them about their night. “So, mama, how many kids did you get to spoil last night?”

Richard smiled, poking at his eggs. “A lot actually. I mean, we always get the whole town, and it was a lot of fun, but, uh…” he trailed off, and Slade watched as his hand rose to his mouth and the omega unconsciously chewed on the edge of his thumbnail.

“We had an interesting end of the evening,” Slade said, setting his fork down.

A bitter laugh left the omega. “I guess that’s one way to say it.”

“What happened?” Rose asked, glancing from Dick to Slade.

Slade was going to answer after the question hung in the air for a moment, but Richard spoke up, a small wobble in his tone. “The boys… visited.”

Rose’s eyebrows nearly bled into her hairline as she looked between the pair. “Was… Was  _ he _ with them?”

The name was never outwardly spoken in Richard’s presence. It wasn’t that they were trying to avoid the topic since they actually have had several discussions about it, but the name was not welcome. Especially not on November 1st.

“No,” Slade said quickly.

“Good,” Rose said, and the air shifted into a slightly less tense one. “I didn’t want you guys having to pay to bail me out.”

Richard let out a small, weak laugh that had both Slade and Rose reaching out for his hands. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” he tried to tell them, but the tears in his eyes begged to differ. It didn’t take more than a moment for him to get up and out of his chair and settle in Slade’s lap, Rose scooting her chair over to tuck her head under his chin.

“I just… I never thought I would see them again,” he whispered, trying his best not to cry even though it was a losing battle. The other two kept quiet and just pressed closer, kept a firm and grounding grip on the omega. “And I  _ never _ thought I would meet her. Oh, God, she was so beautiful, and she kept calling me grandma.”

The tears were actively falling, and Rose nuzzled the omega’s jaw. Richard was the only person who had ever been like a true mother to her, and she hated to see him crying about the children that had been so cruelly taken from him. It was hard on them all, but she always regretted the fact she couldn’t heal his broken heart. She may have mended part of it, wiggled her way in, and made a home for herself, but she could never fix it all.

“Mama,” she said softly. The omega’s grip immediately tightened around her, and she stopped to give him time to speak.

“They’re coming over for dinner tonight,” he finally said. “They… apparently they’ve been looking for me. They know. Oh, God, they know.” It was Slade’s turn now as he hugged the other closer to his chest and quietly shushed him, kissing his temple and the corner of his eye. Even his cheekbone. Really anything that he could. “What if they think differently of me?”

“They already do, birdie,” Slade said, and he barely noted the glare that Rose sent him. “They wouldn’t have come to find you if they thought negatively though. Jason wouldn’t have told Lian about you, about us, if he thought badly.”

Richard shook his head, turning and hiding his face more into his mate’s neck. “Maybe, maybe not. What about Tim or Damian? I probably look pathetic to him.”

“You don’t look pathetic, mama,” Rose sighed, hugging the other as well as she could. Richard was always hard to get to when he was curled up into Slade. “I’m with Dad. They wouldn’t have spent time looking for you if they thought badly of you.”

“They found me when I left…” he frowned, sniffling softly.

“That was because it was a bunch of dumb, angry boys,” Rose said with a roll of her eyes.

A tiny laugh from the omega, and both of the alphas in the room cracked a small smile. It was working at least. Richard rubbed at his eyes, sniffling again before leaning more into the two alphas. “I have no idea how I’m going to survive this.”

“With wine,” Rose said immediately. “Lots of wine.”

Slade flicked the girl’s ear, and another laugh bubbled up through Richard’s tears as she yelped. “It’s not a  _ horrible _ idea. Slade, we need to get some while we’re out.”

“I’ll get a bottle to cook with,” Slade said, earning a roll of the eyes from the other two. “And maybe a nip for you to drink.”

“How romantic,” Richard replied, and this time Rose was joining in with his laughter.

When the laughing settled and the omega could uncurl himself slightly, he finally spoke. “Go shower, sweetie. We have a lot to get done today. Even though he hadn’t finished her hair, she didn’t make a comment, merely agreed, dropped a kiss on his jaw, and went up the stairs.

Slade easily carried the omega into the living room, setting him on the couch with his favorite blanket. “I’m going to clean up.” A small nod before Richard’s attention was given to Zeus, who had happily wandered up and placed his head in his lap now that they were away from the kitchen table. “You're in charge, Zeus,” the alpha said as he headed out. “You too, Blue.”

The Russian blue that had been curled up in the top corner of the cat tree chirped and stretched before making her way over. Richard sighed happily as he got to hold her, cuddled her up to his chest as if she were a baby, and pet along Zeus’ back. It was the little things, he reminded himself. The little things that made it okay.

* * *

The trip to the store was as chaotic as ever. Rose was bouncing up and down because all the leftover candy was on sale. Richard, of course, let her buy a bag as long as she grabbed the bag of Snickers for him, and Slade was left in charge of buying the actual ingredients for dinner with Richard only giving inputs when needed. 

After the grocery store, they went to the butcher because the alpha preferred to see his meat and talk to the people that had raised it. It was more humane that way, and the meat was so delicious and supported the locals, so there were never any arguments.

Then they went to the little shop where Richard bought everything he needed for his altar. And then the florist who had made sure to special order the perfect flowers. The liquor store where Slade got the wine he wanted and true to his word, produced a small nip for the omega.

They went home, and Rose helped Richard take down the decorations as Slade started the prep for dinner. Pizza was ordered for lunch, and they all sat in the chairs outside while they ate. Slade had to get on the ladder and take down the decorations on the roof, and together, they finished up with the Halloween decorations and had them once again tucked away into the attic.

Richard did drag out the autumn things though, and he and Rose decorated again while Slade finished up his prep work. When all of that was done, together they went into the kitchen to start making the treats for this evening.

Rose “helped” by eating one of the spare caramel and chocolate apples. Richard painstakingly decorated the molds while Slade put the cake into the oven. After the molds were prepped, the omega melted down some chocolate and began to coat the molds.

Slade had started on the bread, and Rose hopped up to make the cookie batter. It was a family affair as it always had been, and Richard was able to forget some of his nerves in favor of it. Fillings were made. The cake and cookies cooled. The chocolate candies finished. The bread had received its hidden treat. Rose made a mess of the kitchen when she tried to help make the icing. Slade just sighed and told her to clean it before someone slipped on sugar. Richard laughed as he colored the icings.

It was perfect.

After the cookies were deemed cool enough, the omega set to work decorating them. Each skull was perfectly decorated. Barbara had her usual redhair artfully done up with violets. Steph with those big curls and happy smile that Richard always imagined had little snapdragons around the ends. Cassandra had the flowers of a raspberry bush along the entire edge of her cookie. Duke had his crown. Kadance had hearts littering their face. Angel had a halo and a Christmas scarf tied around their neck. Joey’s messy blonde curls spilled to the very edge, and Grant had a wild mess of hair, and even though they couldn’t agree in the beginning, Dick did give him the blade that Slade insisted was his favorite.

Each was impeccable, and the little plaques that Dick made and set with each were ornately done up in gold. The small flowers he made filled in the gaps on the cooling rack. All were near perfect replicas of the flowers hidden deep in the Wayne mansion garden. The ones that he and Alfred had picked.

Setting the icing down, Richard quickly wiped under his eye. Sometimes thinking of Alfred hurt just as much as any of his babies did. Slade had finished with the pan de muerto and had returned to his side, tucking a stray piece of hair behind the omega’s ear. “They look perfect as always,” Slade said softly, and Richard nodded before turning into the other man.

The gentle embrace lasted for a few moments before Slade pulled back, pressed a kiss to the other’s forehead. “Are you ready?” he asked.

A shaky exhale rattled Richard, sending a small tremor through him as he nodded. He looked up at his partner and smiled slightly. “Yeah… I think it’s time.”

Thankfully, Rose had already emptied the cabinet next to the television and the mantle when they cleaned up and put out the autumn decorations. She appeared as if called, holding the latched, plastic bucket carefully.

Creating the altar was always a long process, but no one ever questioned Richard when he would fuss about the little things. It looked almost identical every year, but they never got started without letting the omega take out each piece and lovingly check it over. At the top of the bookshelf, Slade hung the deep red curtains. The soft velvet was then manipulated until it lied in the perfect orientation. Rose brought out the marigolds they had bought that morning, and Dick protectively tucked and pinned them to the curtain. When that was done, Slade began to set the top shelf with the papel picado as ordered. The top shelf was for Grant and Joey, so he had a bit more freedom, but he knew how the omega liked it to look.

The old picture of him, Adeline, and the boys sat in the center with one of Grant’s high school pictures to the left and a picture of Joey on his graduation day to the right. Grant’s favorite knife was propped up against his frame, and the bracelet Rose had made Joey as a joke years before hung off the corner of his. Dick handed him some of the chocolate sugar skulls, and he set them in a small half circle around the two white candles within the cabinet.

Slade scooped the omega up, let him place and twist the marigolds in between the treats and pictures. Two white roses were added as well, and then Rose was reaching up to add in the pack of cigarettes for Grant as well as the whiskey nip that they bought earlier today. Joey got a copy of his favorite CD and a small skull-shaped tequila nip.

All three took a moment to admire the display before Dick was slowly set back on his feet. Now the difficult part began. Slade once again tacked up the papel picado, this time the vibrant reds, pinks, and purples as Dick pulled out framed pictures of ultrasounds. He reverently ran his thumb over the small plaques with their names before placing them in the center. Barbara to the left and Stephanie to the right. Two large white candles as well as three tealights spanned the sides. Chocolates were arranged with painstaking detail. Rose handed over the flowers, first the marigolds, then the roses, followed by the violets and snapdragons.

Dick took another minute to adjust the set up before he added in the small pink baby blanket and purple rattle. Two little stuffed animals, a traditional teddy bear with a purple bow for Barbara and the white unicorn for Stephanie.

When he was satisfied, he began on the next shelf. First, yellow, orange, and green papel picado, which was joined with two more pictures of ultrasounds, another batch of candles and chocolates, and flowers. The yellow rose rested in front of the picture of Duke, and Dick placed a few raspberries by Cassandra. The puppy plushie went to Duke and the lamb to Cassandra before the small race cars and building blocks filled in any holes.

Angel and Kadence were up next, nestled between their own respective reindeer and giraffe stuffed animals. Springs of rosemary filled the shelf with a soft scent, and the same candles and sweets and flowers were artfully arranged. 

It was the last shelf where Dick really started to struggle. This shelf always had the most pictures, ranging from ultrasounds to teenagers. Jason, Tim, and Damian all smiled back from behind the glass, and Dick couldn’t help but hold the photo of the four of them for a minute. To keep up with the pretense of them all being brothers, Bruce told Dick to join in on one of the family photos one year. Damian was sitting in his lap, a few months away from being four. Jason was tucked into his right side with Tim on his left. They were all smiling, and even though it wasn’t the picture chosen, it was Dick’s favorite. They looked like a real family, like a mother and his sons all cuddled together and posing. It took front and center stage on the shelf with the others surrounding it and telling the story of the life they once had.

Dick thought back to last night, seeing them again for the first time in over three years. He hadn’t been surprised when the phone rang just as he got into bed, but he allowed Slade to talk, too nervous and terrified to speak. Agreeing to meet them today - tonight - had been a big step, and even though he longed for his boys to come home to him, the anticipation was killing him.

Rose distracted him by handing him the vase filled with calla lilies. He smiled at her before looking down at them. He had always hoped to see his children again one day, especially the ones he never had a real chance to meet, and after Jason had come back, his hope only grew.

He set the calla lilies on the mantle above the fireplace, just to the right of the cabinet. Pictures of their family covered the surface as well as a few small pumpkins he and Rose had bought for the enjoyment of fall. 

Taking a step back, the family admired their altar and mantle. Richard rested his head against Slade’s shoulder while holding Rose’s hand. “Do you like it?” he asked softly. Slade hummed, and Rose immediately nodded, kissing his cheek with a smile.

“It’s perfect, Mom. Just like it always is.”

Richard took in a deep breath before nodding, pressing closer to the pair for a moment before untangling himself to straighten the picture of Jason’s ninth birthday party out. Later they would light the candles when the sun started to lower, and then they’d sit and talk about their memories of all the children throughout the pictures.

It was their tradition as they celebrated the holiday, but it suddenly hit Richard then that they would be having guests over. Guests that may not want to have these conversations… “Oh… maybe we shouldn’t have this here with the boys coming over. I don’t know i-”

“Mom,” Rose cut in. “It’s fine. It’s a part of us. You don’t have to change anything.”

The omega grew more nervous, chewing on his bottom lip as his partner pulled him closer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually want to talk about them,” Slade said softly, pressing his nose against the omega’s temple. “Just relax.”

He took a deep breath in, letting out a shaky exhale. “Okay,” he said softly, giving a small nod, “I think I’m ready.”


End file.
